In the backyard of the Crown Prince's Mansion, inside a spacious Training Ground.
Su Ze's hair had turned white, and white-gold lightning radiated from his entire body.
Surrounded by lightning, he floated in midair.
He was just like the Thunder God of legend.
Su Ze looked down at Qian Renxue, and his majestic voice rang out. "I am Heavenly Wrath, the sword hanging high above the heads of all who live."
The instant his words fell, violent lightning crashed down.
It slammed into Qian Renxue, who was holding the Holy Sword.
As the lightning collided with Qian Renxue, she was sent flying more than a dozen steps.
Feeling the pain in her body, Qian Renxue looked astonished.
Her Martial Soul was the God-Bestowed Six-Winged Archangel.
Although Qian Renxue had never deliberately trained her body, since she had to maintain her disguise,
her physical strength was far beyond that of an ordinary Soul King.
Yet when she had just made contact with Su Ze's lightning, she had felt completely outmatched.
Qian Renxue looked at the long trench left by her flight, then at Su Ze in the sky, who was like the Thunder God.
Her fighting spirit surged once more.
As one of the most outstanding geniuses on the Douluo Continent and the possessor of a God-Bestowed Martial Soul,
Qian Renxue had her own pride.
She was a genius with Innate Level 20 Soul Power, the future Co-lord who would unite the Douluo Continent.
How could she lose to a youngster ten years younger than her?
Fueled by her fighting spirit, Qian Renxue stopped worrying about whether her Martial Soul would be exposed and began to fight in earnest.
"First Soul Skill: Holy Charge."
The sacred longsword in her hand shone with dazzling golden light.
Framed by the Holy Light, Qian Renxue was like an angel. Her figure blurred, and in an instant she appeared in midair.
The sword blazing with Holy Fire left one after another streaks in the sky before slashing fiercely at Su Ze.
Faced with the divine sword bearing down on him, Su Ze's eyes, filled with golden lightning, showed no fear. He raised his right hand.
His majestic voice rang out again.
"Only the most awe-inspiring thunder can shatter the weight of darkness."
In an instant, the Crown Prince's Mansion, which had just been under clear skies, was blanketed by Dark Clouds Gathering.
A thick Lightning Pillar plunged from the clouds and collided with Qian Renxue's longsword.
As the two powerful forces clashed,
the ground in the Crown Prince's Mansion cracked apart, and chunks of rubble shot backward like wood chips.
Among them was Qian Renxue, illuminated by the Holy Light.
Wrapped in the Holy Light, Qian Renxue landed on the ground in a sorry state. Her delicate hand had made contact with the lightning and turned into charred flesh.
Qian Renxue looked at her blackened palm, then at Su Ze, who was looking down at her from the sky.
His imposing gaze and calm demeanor
made it seem as if fighting her was beneath his notice.
The feeling of being looked down on made Qian Renxue's expression turn unbearably ugly.
Her pride as a genius made it impossible for her to accept losing to a youngster ten years younger than her.
Especially with him looking down on her like this.
At that thought, Qian Renxue abandoned all pretense of hiding her strength.
She was going to fight with everything she had.
The moment Qian Renxue made up her mind, a pair of Illusory Wings unfurled behind her.
A holy radiance burst from her body.
A beam of divine light descended like a shooting star from the heavens and reached Su Ze almost instantly.
Feeling the Holy Light, Su Ze smiled.
Now that was more like it!
If they were going to fight, she should give it her all!
He wanted to face the Six-Winged Archangel at full strength.
He was eager to see the power of the legendary God-Bestowed Martial Soul.
Facing an attack like a meteor shower, Su Ze blurred and left an afterimage where he had stood.
First Skill: Gale Rush activated.
Qian Renxue hovered in the air, her wings beating as her eyes searched between the gaps in the Holy Light.
She was trying to find Su Ze.
Then she heard a majestic voice behind her.
"People of this glorious world, do you know the alarm bell has been ringing through the Raging Thunder?"
The instant she heard the voice, Qian Renxue's expression changed.
She swept the longsword in her hand behind her.
It was too late.
As Qian Renxue turned around, the violent lightning knocked the longsword from her hand.
Surrounded by lightning, Su Ze, who was like the Thunder God, spoke the final words of the battle.
"Shatter the Darkness with Thunder!"
Dark Clouds Gathering churned overhead, and under Su Ze's command, one violent Lightning Pillar after another crashed down on Qian Renxue.
The powerful lightning shattered every one of Qian Renxue's defenses.
In the Crown Prince's Mansion, Qian Renxue's body slammed onto the ground. Dust covered her beautiful face, and bright red blood trickled from her lips.
At the same time, the lightning had torn most of her gorgeous clothes to shreds.
Su Ze had no interest in Qian Renxue's body. He simply looked down at her and said flatly,
"You lost!"
Qian Renxue, lying on the ground, struggled to get back to her feet.
Her beautiful eyes stared fixedly at Su Ze in the sky.
She looked at the youngster surrounded by lightning.
A sense of defeat welled up in Qian Renxue's heart.
It also made her realize just how powerful this youngster named Su Ze was.
Just then, a golden figure suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
As soon as he appeared, the lightning around Su Ze slowly faded.
With the end of Thunderous Force, the Dark Clouds dispersed, and sunlight once again shone over the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Su Ze looked at Snake Lance Douluo in the distance, tore off the top of his robe, which the lightning had ripped, and then casually said,
"It's been a long time, Senior Snake Lance."
Snake Lance Douluo had been handing Qian Renxue some clothes. Hearing this, he turned and looked toward Su Ze.
Seeing that Su Ze was completely unharmed, Snake Lance Douluo's eyes filled with emotion.
The first time he had seen Su Ze, he'd thought that his young mistress couldn't compare to Su Ze at the same age.
Now that he thought about it, his judgment back then had been conservative.
It was fair to say that if they had been the same age,
his young mistress wouldn't have been fit to fight this youngster, Su Ze.
At the thought, Snake Lance Douluo said with emotion,
"It's been a long time. My cultivation has remained where it was."
"And the clever little child of years ago has grown to this level."
"Su Ze, right?"
"Truly, heroes come from the young! It seems we old bones will soon have to leave the stage."
Looking at Su Ze, Snake Lance Douluo felt, for the first time, that he really was old.
Hearing Snake Lance Douluo's words and the emotion in his voice,
Su Ze smiled calmly and cupped his hands.
"Miss Qian Renxue, our duel is over."
"I have somewhere to be. I need to find Senior Dugu!"
"When you get the chance, say goodbye to the Crown Prince for me."
With that, Su Ze turned and left.
After defeating Qian Renxue this time, Su Ze had gained a clearer understanding of his own strength.
He had also made quite a display in front of her.
Considering Qian Renxue's proud nature in the Original Work, she would surely remember that he had defeated her.
So it was best to leave as soon as possible.
Qian Renxue, now dressed, watched Su Ze's departing figure. A hint of unwillingness crossed her beautiful face, and she called out,
"Su Ze, right? I lost this time."
"But it won't be long before I catch up."
"Just you wait."
Su Ze kept walking and calmly answered Qian Renxue's call from behind.
"All right. I'll be waiting!"
After Su Ze left,
Qian Renxue, wrapped in a long robe, stood up. The numbness caused by the lightning
meant she needed Snake Lance Douluo's support even to get to her feet.
Qian Renxue looked at the huge crater in the shattered ground. A trace of thought and unwillingness crossed her beautiful face.
The moment Su Ze defeated her, Qian Renxue suddenly regretted how much time she had wasted on political affairs over the years.
With her talent, how could she have lost to Su Ze so easily otherwise?
After all, Su Ze was only a teenager.
She was nearly a whole generation older than him.
But Qian Renxue soon pushed that regret to the back of her mind.
For one thing, she had already spent that time, and there was no point dwelling on it.
For another, as a genius with Innate Soul Power of Level 20 and a God-Bestowed Martial Soul,
Qian Renxue believed in her own talent.
She remained confident that she had only fallen behind for the time being.
In the future, she would surely catch up.
Snake Lance Douluo spoke at just the right moment.
"Young mistress, don't be too disheartened. Your God-Bestowed Six-Winged Archangel Martial Soul hasn't yet revealed its full power."
"If you'd used it all, you would surely have won this Soul Duel."
Hearing Snake Lance Douluo's words, Qian Renxue shook her head.
"A loss is a loss. There's no point talking about using everything. Besides, I had the advantage of age."
As she spoke, Qian Renxue looked once more in the direction Su Ze had gone.
Su Ze's figure, like the Thunder God, surfaced in her mind again.
As she thought of him, Qian Renxue felt a little regretful. At the auction several years ago, she should have raised her offer.
Still, it wasn't too late to recognize Su Ze's value as a genius now.
Qian Renxue silently made up her mind.
In the future, she would not only defeat Su Ze.
She would also make a genius like him submit to her completely.
Only then could she wash away the humiliation she had suffered today.
Thinking of Su Ze's fondness for beautiful women, and remembering how he had stared at her in a daze,
Qian Renxue's eyes glimmered with thought.
Perhaps she could use that to recruit him.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Crown Prince's Mansion, Su Ze didn't immediately return to Heaven Dou Royal City.
Instead, he headed for the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce.
As Su Ze walked, he thought back over the fight and still felt a little regretful.
Qian Renxue had been concerned about keeping her identity hidden, so she'd held back when fighting him.
She hadn't fully revealed the power of her Six-Winged Archangel Martial Soul.
It was a bit of a shame.
But it was only a shame. Even if Qian Renxue had shown her full strength, Su Ze wouldn't have been afraid.
He hadn't gone all out this time either. He hadn't revealed the Twin Dragon Kings' Soul Bones, the Storm Dragon King's enhancement, or the power of his Soul Rings.
He could say that, when it came to holding back, he had kept far more hidden.
"Qian Renxue seemed pretty unwilling to accept defeat."
"She'll probably challenge me again in the future."
"That'll give me a great opponent to practice against."
At the thought, battle intent appeared in Su Ze's eyes.
The National Soul Master Elite Competition was about to begin, and he needed actual combat experience.
Qian Renxue was an excellent opponent for that.
Now that he had someone to fight, Su Ze decided to make use of his resources and improve himself.
The Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce was an enterprise funded by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
It gathered treasures from all over the world.
There were plenty of precious items inside.
As a key investment of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Su Ze was always the first to hear from the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce whenever they acquired a new treasure.
But in previous years, there had been hardly anything that caught his eye.
This time, though, something had caught his attention.
The main reason was that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had recently obtained a strange stone.
It was said to have been imbued with Thunder God's Power and could summon thunder from the heavens.
As soon as Su Ze heard about Thunder God's Power, he decided to come and take a look.
Su Ze had just entered the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's premises.
The next moment, a voluptuous, alluring greeter approached him.
"Young Master Su, you're here."
"You must have come for that stone. The Sect Master specifically told us to set it aside for you."
As she spoke, the greeter wore an ingratiating smile.
More importantly, her cultivation had already reached the Soul Elder realm.
Clearly, with strength and looks like hers, she was at least a minor supervisor at the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce.
But to Su Ze, who had just met Qian Renxue, this was no test at all.
He nodded without taking his eyes off the path ahead.
"Please thank Sect Master Ning for his concern."
"Take me to see it."
Su Ze had no intention of refusing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's investment.
After all, even if they became enemies in the future, they couldn't take back an investment once it had been made.
So he might as well accept it.
Besides, Thunder God's Power was something Su Ze, who was striving to become a god, couldn't afford to miss.
"Young Master Su, the Sect Master often talks about you to us at the chamber of commerce."
"He told us to treat you well and said you would always be a friend of the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce."
"Young Master Su, please come this way."
The greeter didn't seem the least bit displeased by Su Ze's bluntness.
Led by the greeter, Su Ze walked down a corridor and entered a secret chamber.
The chamber was spacious. On a display stand sat a golden stone, lightning flickering around it.
"Young Master Su, our chamber of commerce brought this stone back from a place with an unusual magnetic field."
"According to Sword Douluo's appraisal, it has been imbued with divine power."
"Judging by the lightning flickering around it, we suspect it's the Thunder God's Power."
The greeter didn't need to explain. Su Ze had already reached his own conclusion.
The stone was stained with Thunder God Blood. As proof, the Storm Dragon King inside his body stirred faintly.
"A stone stained with Thunder God Blood? What a pleasant surprise."
A hint of excitement flashed in Su Ze's eyes. If he absorbed this stone,
the evolution of his Storm Dragon King's other forms would advance once more.
At the thought, Su Ze strode forward and grasped the purple stone crackling with lightning.
Feeling the Thunder God Power flowing through his hand, Su Ze nodded.
"Please thank Uncle Ning for me. I'll take this."
Since he'd agreed to accept the investment, Su Ze naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony.
As soon as Su Ze finished speaking, the greeter smiled.
He knew why. After all, by taking the item,
he was deepening his bond with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
At the same time, the woman had completed her task.
And if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect ever ran into trouble in the future, Su Ze, once he had grown stronger, would at least have to step in once.